The Long Way Round
by ThreeBulletNecklace
Summary: Five years have passed since the end of the war. While taking a much needed break on Ember Island, Appa vanishes without a trace. The GAang resolve to find him, starting a journey that will take them across countries and continents. Rated M for language and violence in future chapters.


So yet again it's been quite a while since I've written anything. This story, which I hope will comprise quite a few chapters, should remedy that. After re-watching _Avatar _and _Korra, _for like the 17th timeI wanted to challenge my writing ability by doing a multi-chapter story that had narrative and character arcs, instead of my usual silly one-shots, and my brain came up with this. Hopefully you guys will enjoy reading it.

**Disclaimers and stuff: **_Avatar: The Last Airbender _is owned by Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon. I'm just one person making crappy little sandcastles in their giant sandpit.

**The Long Way Round**

**Chapter 1**

"Fuck all of the way off, Meathead! I got this!"

"Toph, if you "got this", why are we losing? Wait, no. Losing is too small a word. "Annihilating". Yeah – they're annihilating us!"

"Well they wouldn't be if you would stop getting in my way, idiot!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you're not as good on sand as you are on normal eart-MMPH!"

"Oh, if my bending isn't as good on sand, why is your head encased in a butt-load of it right now?!"

"Mpph mph!"

"Uh, Toph?"

The blind earthbender whipped her head around toward the source of the voice. Her chest was heaving, pale eyes wild and her hair was falling out of her bun, framing her head in a frizzy black halo.

"What, Sugar Queen?" she spat, paying no attention to the currently blind water tribesman flailing erratically behind her. "If you could not murder my brother before dinner tonight, that would be great." Katara said, raising a gently amused eyebrow at the younger woman.

"Fine! But we're never playing this dumb game again!" Toph grumbled. Sending her bending out, she turned and began walking towards their lodgings. "Forgetting something?" Came Katara's now outright amused voice. As Toph turned back, there was a loud thud and a muffled "MMMPH!" as Sokka, unable to free himself from the compacted sand encasing his head, walked directly into a tree, earning a giggle from Katara and a loud guffaw of laughter from Aang, who had his arm around Katara's waist. Toph sighed and muttered _"Idiot!"_ under her breath before shifting her weight slightly and tapping her heel on the ground.

The sand fell away from Sokka's head, leaving him dazed and coughing on the ground. He sat up, spitting grains of sand from his mouth. "Thanks a bunch, Toph. Because I _really_ wanted to be tasting sand for the rest of the day." Despite his sarcasm, she smirked slightly. "You're welcome, Meathead." _You might be an idiot, but at least you make me laugh. _

Aang stepped forward, still laughing quietly "Guys, it's just beach netball. Don't take it so seriously." He smirked, running a hand along the sparse bristles on his chin. "Even if me and Katara did beat you guys into the ground." He added slyly. Sokka narrowed his eyes and quirked his right eyebrow. He curled his right hand into a fist, and tapped it three times on the ground. Toph, catching his meaning, grinned. In a fraction of a second, she took a stance and moved her left hand outwards, palm facing towards the ground. The sand under Aang's feet shifted suddenly, whipping his legs out from under him. He landed face first in the sand, getting a large mouthful for his troubles.

Sokka erupted into laughter, earning a scowl from Aang and a warm smile from Toph. "I thought airbenders were supposed to be modest and humble, Twinkletoes?" She said. Aang sighed and directed a small funnel of air at his face, blowing the sand off. Katara, seeing her boyfriend's plight, stepped in. "You were being kind of boastful, Sweetie. And Toph, you're not exactly the image of modesty yourself."

Toph spread her arms, raising two tendrils of sand and entwining them around her in an ever shifting weave. "Why should I be? You've seen what I can do." She boasted, forming the flowing sand into a perfect replica of a lotus flower. Katara just smiled and rolled her eyes at this and, helping her boyfriend and his wounded pride up, walked back towards their cabin.

"Toph, have I ever said that you're the greatest earthbender of all time?" Sokka said, placing his hand on her shoulder and giving it an affectionate squeeze. Toph smiled at their now years-old running joke. "You could stand to mention it a little more." She said, lightly punching him in the arm.

* * *

Much had changed since the end of the war. The southern water tribe was being rebuilt, the Earth Kingdom had been largely stabilised under the rule of King Kuei, and the settlements which previously had been Fire Nation colonies were relatively peaceful: Fire Nation citizens and Earth Kingdom citizens were cohabiting willingly and peacefully for the first time in over a hundred years. There were even fledgling proposals for a "United Republic of Nations" being floated around the seemingly endless council meetings Aang was forced to attend. He didn't mind, as it was his duty as Avatar to bring balance in whatever way he could, however these meetings did keep him away from his friends and loved ones for long hours.

It was an unfortunately frequent occurrence for him to return home in the late hours of the night, to leftover food on the table and a sleeping Katara, who more often than not would be snuggled up to Appa. The decision to begin living together had been an easy one, as they had spent five years being in each other's lives constantly. Sokka had been slightly less enthusiastic upon being told, muttering under his breath about "Oogies." And "Having his hands all over my sister." Though he had eventually accepted they were serious about each other, and even snuck in the occasional small smile when he saw how happy his sister was whenever her and Aang had time to be a couple.

After Toph's first successful metalbending school, word of the new discipline had spread rapidly throughout the Earth Kingdom, leading to an exponential increase in the number of students who wished to learn from the now-widely known Toph Bei Fong. In a relatively short four years, she had opened three more schools: one in Ba Sing Se, one in Omashu and she had even opened one in Gaoling. Despite initially heavy resistance from her mother, Toph had finally convinced her that her metalbending academies were what she was truly happy doing. The convincing involved a spirited defense from her father, and when that wasn't enough, an enthusiastic and comprehensive display of metalbending from Toph, ending in her forming a thirty foot high sculpture of the family's symbol - a golden winged boar.

Her mother had squealed in delight, something Top had assumed she was incapable of doing, and proclaimed that it would cement the Bei Fong's noble status for centuries to come. After sharing a decidedly awkward hug, Poppy Bei Fong had hesitantly admitted just how proud she was of her daughter, and that the young woman in front of her was and always had been far from the delicate little doll Poppy had seen her as.

Sokka and Suki had continued their relationship, with it becoming steadily more serious over the course of three years. They had even talked of settling down with one another, with Sokka at one point considering making a betrothal necklace. Regrettably for them, their differing paths had dashed any chance they may have had. Sokka's father Hakoda had involved his son heavily in the rebuilding of the Southern Water Tribe, grooming him as a future chief. Sokka appreciated the responsibility, and the practice he gained with public speaking (although he was still a little shaky) was something he sorely needed, but he missed Suki terribly. She was preoccupied with leading the Kyoshi Warriors, as they had seen a huge influx of new recruits after the war ended. The numbers were enough to make up a small army, which had led to a radical infrastructure change. Kyoshi Island was now a bustling port town, with traders arriving from all over the support the massively increased demand for supplies.

The now suddenly distanced couple had valiantly tried to keep their relationship afloat. Rarely a week went by without one writing the other, and they visited one another as often as was physically possible, oftentimes sneaking away to snatch hurried, passionate nights, both of them dreading the dawn and the inevitable farewells it brought. But, as their responsibilities increased, so did their time apart, until neither could bear the emotional strain any longer. They met for a final time, and, by mutual consent, brought an end to their relationship. Neither had seen the other since.

A year had passed since then, with the members of the GAang, aside from Aang and Katara, seeing steadily less of one another, until after three and a half months of not seeing her friends and family, and after the ninth night in a row of falling asleep alone, Katara had snapped and demanded a change. Thus, a holiday to Ember Island had been swiftly arranged, with each member agreeing that a break was sorely needed.

* * *

"C'mon Toph." Sokka said, idly rubbing his arm where she had punched him, and eyeing the rapidly setting sun. "We should head back too. Don't want people to get the wrong idea, you know?"

"Wrong idea, Meathead?"

"Well, you and me, on a beach. At sunset. Alone. Y'know?" He laughed unconvincingly, rubbing the back of his head. Toph turned away, hiding her face so he wouldn't see the blush creeping into her cheeks. "Y-yeah... We should, probably ..."

The two walked back towards the cabin, an awkward silence descending between them. Toph had her face pointed resolutely at the ground, hoping desperately that Sokka hadn't noticed the blush now making its way from her cheeks to her collarbone. Years of unrequited longings came bubbling to the surface of her mind, causing her stomach muscles to involuntarily clench. _Stop it, you fucking moron! _She shouted at her own mind. _You're a grown woman for spirit's sake! You can deal with a stupid crush, after all, it's not like he's ever noticed you, _her mind added bitterly.

She sighed to herself, memories flooding unbidden into her head: Sokka making her laugh until tea came out of her nose, Sokka stuck in the ground like an idiot _My idiot. _Sokka eating too much meat and groaning about a "food coma". Sokka high on cactus saving her life.

The water tribesman, on the other hand, was far too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice Toph's very un-Toph like behaviour. _Come on, Sokka. Why did you say something like that? _The logical part of his brain asked, rubbing its metaphorical forehead. _I don't know! _The emotional and unrestrained part replied. _You have to have noticed how beautiful she is now! _Which was true, he mused, stealing a quick glance at the young woman walking beside him. Over the years she had grown from a stubborn tomboy into, well, a slightly less stubborn lady, although her tomboyish tendencies had been largely replaced with an inner strength that came only from being an unequaled bender.

It was increasingly difficult not to notice her physical appearance as well. Although still on the shorter side (she was still a full head shorter than the water tribesman), in the intervening years she had grown into a very attractive, confident young woman. It was the attractiveness Sokka was having problems dealing with. His eyes strayed to the toned stomach muscles visible between the long skirt and her vibrant green chest wrap, which ended just below her rib cage. The muscles shifted subtly as she walked, drawing his eyes downwards, towards her now-rounded hips and lean, strong legs. Moving his gaze further south, he became mesmerized by the flashes of lily-white skin between the side slits of her skirt as she walked. His heart began to hammer in his chest as his imagination served up several lurid images of just what he'd like to do with those flawless expanses of pale skin.

Noticing they were but a few paces from the cabin, he regretfully tore his eyes away from her, praying she hadn't noticed the rapid elevation in his pulse. She had, but before anything could be said, a piercing shriek came from the second floor. "KATARA!" Sokka yelled, instantly panicking that something awful had happened to his sister. He made to rush up the stairs, and hesitated, remembering they were made of wood. He held out his hand "Toph, come on!" She took it, and he hoisted her onto his back. He pelted up the stairs, expecting the worst.

It was not the worst that greeted him. Katara and Aang were stood in the hallway just outside their room. She was facing away from the doorway, hands covering her eyes and her face a vibrant shade of red. Aang was trying and failing to hide his laughter. Sokka peered into the room, eyes growing wide and his jaw dropping. Inside were Zuko and Mai, hastily covering their half naked selves, trying to hide their obvious embarrassment at being caught.

Apart from Aang's snickerings and some small spluttering sounds from Sokka, an awkward silence pervaded, which was, as usual, broken by Toph, who had no idea just what in the hell was going on. "Meathead!" She yelled into his ear. He jerked, having forgotten she was still attached to his back. "Either put me down or tell me what in the flying fuck is going on!" He let her down, trying to come up with an explanation for the situation.

"Uh, well, you know how Zuko said he'd join us later?"

"Yeah, is he here?"

"Yep. So is Mai."

"Oh, sweet. Let's say hi!"

"Not a good idea right now."

"Why not?"

"They … uh … that shriek we heard?" At this, Katara glared at him. "That was because Aang and Katara found them. In their room."

Toph was momentarily puzzled. "Wait, why would they be in Sugar Queen and Twinkletoes' roo- ohhhh."

As the now fully clothed and still mortally embarrassed couple exited the room, Toph dissolved into hysterical laughter. Zuko shot her his best "_I am the Fire Lord and you will be quiet_" death-glare, realising half a second later it was wasted on the blind earth bender. "So, Katara caught you two fuckin', huh?" Toph said, twisting the metaphorical Blade of Embarrassment even further. Mai turned an even deeper shade of red, resolutely avoiding eye contact with everyone present. Zuko spluttered furiously, almost lost for words. "That's not – we weren't – _we hadn't gotten that far yet!"_

"Chill out, Zu-Zu. Don't get your fireballs in a twist."

"_Aaaaarrrggghhhh!"_

* * *

Dinner was an awkward affair. Mai was still avoiding eye contact, staring into her noodle soup as if it contained a great secret that only she could discover. Zuko was still shooting the occasional death-glare at Toph, who was nonchalantly picking bits of food out of her teeth, happily oblivious to the Fire Lord's ire.

This time, it was Sokka who broke the silence. "So." he said, leaning back in his chair. All eyes except for Toph's landed on him. He continued undeterred, "I thought you guys broke up?" The question was directed at Zuko and Mai. The couple shared a look. Zuko sighed. "We are- I mean, we were." He hastily corrected himself, catching Mai's expression. "We met by chance a couple of nights ago. I arrived early on the Island, and she just happened to be here too. We went for a drink, talked for hours and one thing led to another. So-" "Here we are." Mai finished off his sentence, smiling at Zuko and squeezing his hand.

Katara was also smiling. She always liked seeing couples resolve their differences. She cast a loving glance at Aang. He caught it and smiled back, placing a hand on her knee.

"So how come you two snuck into Aang and Katara's room for an oogie marathon?" Sokka continued, ignoring Katara's hand smacking into her forehead at his continued use of "oogies". The two Fire Nation members blushed again. "We honestly didn't notice you guys were here." Mai said. "There was no one in the house and we were, well-"

"Occupied?" Asked Sokka, wiggling his eyebrows at her. He couldn't duck fast enough to avoid the rice ball which hit him square in the face. Mai smirked. Her aim was still as sharp as ever.

* * *

Several hours and 12 games of Pai Sho later (of which Sokka had lost 5), the GAang bid goodnight to Zuko and Mai, promising an incident-free dinner the next night. "Well, I'm going to bed. Good-night, you two." Katara said, addressing Toph and Sokka. She made her way to the stairs, glancing back as she reached the foot of them. "Are you coming up as well, Sweetie?"

Aang stifled a yawn. "Sure, just let me go check on Appa first. He's been pretty quiet tonight, so I just wanna make sure he's okay."

"Don't be too long. You know how lonely I can be when I'm in bed on my own..." She left the sentence hanging as she headed up. Aang flushed slightly, swiftly exiting the room in the direction of Appa's lodgings, leaving the blind earth-bender and the Water Tribesman alone.

Sokka tapped her arm and made a small gagging sound. "Oogies, right?" Toph turned towards him. "I'm trying to roll my eyes at you. I'm pretty sure I'm getting it right now. I've had a lot of practice, especially with you, Snoozles."

Sokka laughed and put his arm around her shoulder, giving her an affectionate squeeze. To his surprise, she leaned into it, resting her head on his shoulder. Instantly, his heart rate sky-rocketed, something Toph didn't need her bending to detect, she was so close to him. _Shit, what are you doing?! You're making him freak out! _Her inner voice yelled at her. Sokka was, in fact, far from freaking out. His left arm automatically dropped from her shoulder onto her waist, landing on the bare skin there. Toph froze at the contact, her heart feeling like it was going to beat itself right out of her chest. Sokka's thumb started moving in small circles, gently stroking her skin. She barely held back a pleasurable sigh. Even that small touch was sending jolts through her skin.

_What in spirit's sake are you doing_? Sokka's logical brain interjected. _No no, keep going, _the emotionally charged part replied. _Who knows where this could lead? _

It didn't lead anywhere. The two jerked apart as the door was blasted open by a gust of wind, and Aang burst back into the room, a panic-stricken look on his face.

"Guys, it's – it's Appa. He's gone. I can't find him anywhere."

END OF CHAPTER 1.

A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the Tokka fluff and every time Toph got to be a jerk to people (can you tell she's my favourite character?). Hopefully that comes across in the writing. Anyway, if you liked it, please leave a review, and if you didn't, review anyway! Constructive criticism is always welcome.

I' m not gonna say when the next chapter is going to be out, since I'm notoriously bad with scheduling, but I do have it generally planned out, so hopefully not more than 2 or 3 weeks. It should also properly start the plot, as I'm aware this chapter had a lot of exposition dumping and scene setting.

Until next time!


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